


She's a lil' ankle biter

by yeahhomeswepimpin



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Female!Raleigh, Kid Fic, Original Character(s), Pregnancy, minor mentions of abortion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:14:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeahhomeswepimpin/pseuds/yeahhomeswepimpin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chuck Hansen had had a crush on Raleigh Becket since he first saw her on TV with her brother. </p><p>Raleigh Becket felt drawn to Chuck Hansen from the moment she saw him, a feeling only intensified by her fist colliding with his face. </p><p>Or Raleigh and Chuck act on their feelings but everything goes exactly the same and Chuck doesn't make it back to the surface. But Raleigh and a little bunch of cells within her do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this kinda happened and I'm not really sorry about it.  
> Bit of an angsty first chapter I really can't promise that the next one will be much better either.  
> Hope you enjoy and please leave comments and/or kudos.

Raleigh Becket looked down at her sleeping daughter. At 3 Charlotte Yasmin Becket was already so much like her father. Raleigh supposed that the similarities were only enhanced by the fact that Charlotte had lived her entire life in Sydney, and her Australian accent just made it that much more obvious. 

Raleigh sat there, next to her bed, the early morning sunshine filtering through the curtain covered window, and thought about how her little girl had come to be. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

From the moment she had met Chuck Hansen, she had felt drawn to him, a feeling that was only intensified as her fist collided with his face. 

Her feelings all came to a head the night before Operation Pitfall, in a crash of mouths and a tangle of limbs. 

They lay awake all night, wrapped around one another, talking. Talking about their childhood's, about Chuck's mother, about how he had worshipped both her and Yancy, she had given him the final push to become a Jaeger pilot. She talked about Yancy and he just stroked her hair gently. They talked about everything except the future, because neither could be sure that there would be a future in their case. 

And if when it was time to step off, if they held onto one another like the world was ending, well no one commented because for them it might as well have been. 

And when they pulled back from each other if Raleigh whispered "I love you" against his chest, well Chuck didn't mention it, just like she didn't mention the tears that were in his eyes. 

Raleigh remembered the blinding white light, she remembered the tears that spilled down her and Mako's cheeks. 

She remembered swapping her and Mako's oxygen and hoping that maybe it would give her a way out. But she didn't give up, she carried on, she ejected herself from Gipsy at the last second, because she couldn't be a coward. 

She remembered coming to with Mako's arms wrapped around her, remembered the pain, hurt and grief that hit her like a fist to the solar plexus. 

She remembered Mako holding her as she shook, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the little piece of plastic in her hands, with a little smiley face glaring back at her. 

It was fucking ironic that the happiest moment in most people's life was so heart wrenching. 

Because when the end of the world is essentially tomorrow, who stops to think about a fucking condom?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Raleigh was insanely grateful to so many people. She was grateful to Mako and Tendo for all the help and support they gave her. 

For when Mako was there at 3am when Raleigh was shaking in the corner of her room, the images from a dream clinging to her, the image of Chuck's face as he disappeared forever. Mako would just stroke her back gently and whisper to her, words of comfort, words of love, until she stopped shaking and then lay next to her so she could keep the dreams away long enough to sleep. 

For when Tendo would show up at any hour of the day or night, to bring her anything and everything she could possibly need. For when he sat with her through 4 months of almost constant throwing up. 

But most of all she was grateful to Herc, who's only reaction to her telling him that she was pregnant with his dead son's child, was to pull her into a tight hug and treat her as his own daughter. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The PPDC headquarters were moved to Sydney when Raleigh was 7 months pregnant, and little Charlotte Becket arrived only a month later. Herc joked that she was just impatient to say hello to the best country on Earth. 

Raleigh doesn't need the video that Tendo took of Herc meeting his granddaughter for the first time, because she can remember every second of the encounter. 

She can remember the tears that were threatening to spill over in his eyes as he held her. And she can remember that when she told him that her name was Charlotte those tears began roll down his face. 

Charlotte, or Charlie as it was ultimately shortened too, was Grandpa's little Princess, and it was totally his fault that Raleigh could only follow half of the conversations he had with the 3 year old, as their voices blended together in a sea of words she could barely understand. She had gotten better at understanding what Tim Tam's and a whole bunch of other strange yet wonderful Australian creations were, but she had barely scraped the surface, and her little girl was Australian through and through. 

One evening, while Charlie was fast asleep on Raleigh's chest, Herc told her that Charlie was so incredibly like Chuck sometimes that it physically hurt, and Raleigh was glad because maybe she hadn't known Chuck for very long at all. But she was still learning about him nearly 4 years after he was gone. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Raleigh was pulled from her thoughts by frantic knocking on the door of her apartment. 

She quickly moved to answer it in the hope that Charlie wouldn't wake up. She was ready to berate whoever it was at the door, except when she opened it there was a disheveled looking Herc Hansen, his apartment door still wide open across the hall. 

His eyes locked with Raleigh's as he said two words that would change their lives forever. 

"Chuck's alive."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More background on Raleigh and Charlotte this chapter. Hopefully Chuck will be in the next chapter.

Raleigh's knees gave out and she had to brace herself on the wall to avoid falling over. She looked at him, eyes wide, "What? How?" 

Herc shook his head "I received a call from Tendo five minutes ago saying that a very angry Australian had just rang him and would very much like to be picked up from Guam."

Raleigh let out a burst of laughter, "that sounds like Chuck" but immediately after she had said that her face fell and she slid down the wall, until she was sitting on the floor.

Herc followed her down and gently took her right hand, "What is it Raleigh?" She sat there willing the words to come, but a minute later she still hadn't spoken. Herc's voice soft and gentle broke her from her thoughts, "Raleigh, what is it?"

Raleigh took a deep breath, "Herc I knew Chuck for all of 5 days, I love the kid completely and totally, but what if that's not enough? He's gonna be coming back to a daughter, one he never signed up for, what if he feels compelled to put up with us out of some sense of duty he has?" 

Herc put his free hand gently on her shoulder, waiting until she met his eyes. "Raleigh, that boy was head over heels for you, had been ever since he first saw you and your brother on TV, trust me when I say he won't be putting up with you, and Charlie? Oh he is gonna fall completely in love with that lil' ankle biter." 

Herc pulled her into a tight hug, before releasing her. "Now come on we have a Ranger to go and greet." A smile spread across his face, and Raleigh was aware, not for the first time, that even though he loved Charlie with his whole being, she just couldn't fill that hole that had been left by the death of her father. And maybe she wouldn't have to fill that hole anymore, maybe she could just be a little girl who could finally meet her daddy. 

"I will meet you out in the corridor in 20 minutes, just got to get the little madam up." Raleigh said the smallest of smiles appeared on her face, as she dared to allow herself to hope. 

Herc just nodded and pushed himself off of the floor and walked back across the hallway into his own apartment. Raleigh shut the door gently behind him and headed to her room to put on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt, before finally pulling on one of Yancy's old sweaters and headed to wake Charlie. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Raleigh walked up to the side of Charlie's bed, her 'big girl bed' as she liked to refer to it as, she had been insanely excited when Grandpa had taken her out to pick it. 

Now Raleigh had never classed her daughter as a girly girl, she curled her nose up at the sight of anything pink or sparkly, but she wouldn't have guessed that the bed she would choose, would be a bed that was stylised to look like a Jaeger, or at the very least part of one. However it wasn't just any Jaeger, no, it was painted in the same style as Striker Eureka. 

Raleigh had glared at Herc as the bed was brought into her apartment, it wasn't as though that subject was banned in her house but she didn't want constant reminders of Chuck and Stacker's sacrifice everywhere she went. She realised to late that she had no hope of that as her daughter was obsessed with Jaegers, especially Striker. 

Herc had simply raised his hands and said "What? The little tyke found it all on her own, I even tried to direct her towards a princess bed, she was having none of it though" 

Raleigh had just sighed, her daughter was stubborn, and even at a young age Charlotte was well aware of what her daddy had done, and she idolised him for it. Her room was covered in paraphernalia, Gipsy and Striker models filled an entire shelf, she even had plushies on her bed. Raleigh had tried and failed to limit the influx of stuff from friends and PPCD workers. Posters lined the walls and Raleigh had long come to terms with the fact, that not only Chuck but Yancy as well, stared down from the walls at her, but her little girl was very proud of her family and Raleigh couldn't really say no to Charlie. 

Charlie's absolute favourite things however were on her bedside table, they included a tiny statue of Gipsy Danger that Mako had given her on her 3rd birthday, a teddy bear that Raleigh had given her the moment she had been brought home, most nights that was actually in bed with her but right now she was curled around a giant soft toy, that Raleigh assumed had once resembled an elephant, and finally there were three framed photographs. 

The first was taken only a few weeks after she was born, it was of Herc fast asleep on Raleigh's couch with a tiny Charlotte asleep on his chest. Raleigh smiled at the picture as Charlie was wearing a gift that she had been given by Newt, a onesies in the style of a drive suit. 

Raleigh had refused to let the mere sight of anything kaiju or Jaeger related affect her, because if she did her entire life would have ground to a halt. 

The second picture was of Raleigh and Mako, each holding one of Charlie's hands swinging her between them, and the third well Raleigh honestly had no idea who had taken it, but the moment Charlie was old enough to understand at least some of the situation, Raleigh had made sure the picture was right there at the front. 

It was a picture of Raleigh and Chuck, the only one she knew to be in existence. It had been taken right before the drop, they had stepped back from one another, but their hands were still locked together. They were both looking at each other intensely, taking in what they were aware could be the last time they ever got to look at each other. 

Raleigh had no idea where or how Tendo had come across the picture, just that he had given it to her it to her when he and Mako came to meet Charlie in the hospital. 

Raleigh had sat there holding her newborn daughter while tears streamed down her face. When Herc found her, and saw what it was she was crying at, he had immediately gone out and bought a frame for the photo, and when Raleigh had woken up the next morning, there it was by the side of her bed. 

Raleigh blinked harshly several times before gently shaking Charlie awake. One bright blue eye cracked open and glared at her, Raleigh merely chuckled, while she was forever and always a morning person, Charlie took after her uncle, and according to Herc, her father aswell. 

"Charlie, baby you need to wake up now" Raleigh said softly. Charlie let out a muffled yawn into her pillow, Raleigh simply smiled and scooped the little girl up into her arms. Charlie lay her head on Raleigh's shoulder, "Don't go back to sleep baby girl" Raleigh said soothingly as she carried her towards the bathroom. 

"Why not, mummy?" She mumbled into Raleigh's shoulder -Raleigh had accepted her fate, to be called 'mum' for the rest of her life, due to the sheer number of Australians teaching her daughter to say that instead of 'mom'.   
"Because, you are going to meet someone very special today" Raleigh replied as she pulled off Charlie's pj's. 

Charlie looked her dead in the eye and asked "Who?" Raleigh just lifted the small girl into the empty bathtub, "it's a secret" she responded, before unhooking the shower head from above the bath and turning it on, waiting until it was warm before washing Charlie. 

Raleigh wrapped her up in a large towel before carrying her back into her room. Raleigh quickly picked out a pair of jeans and a simple blue t-shirt for Charlie to wear and had her dressed in a couple of minutes. 

Raleigh grabbed her bag, which was really Charlie's bag these days, and was about to grab a hoodie for Charlie, when she made a distasteful noise from behind Raleigh. 

"What is it chick?" Raleigh asked desperate to get out of the apartment. Charlie looked at her "Want my Striker Jacket" her face set to a stubborn glare, Raleigh knew there was no point arguing, she'd learned the hard way that Charlie was as stubborn as both her and Chuck combined. 

Charlie's favourite jacket was a replica of Herc and Chuck's pilot jackets, Raleigh would have said no and sent it back if it had been anyone but Herc who had bought it, and if Charlie hadn't immediately fallen in love with it.   
"What do you say Charlotte?" Raleigh said, more out of habit than anything else. Charlie pulled a face at the use of her full name but still said "Please", so Raleigh counted that as a win. Raleigh handed her the jacket before guiding her towards the front door. 

Herc was already standing in the corridor waiting for them, and Charlie immediately ran to him. He scooped her up into his arms and placed a kiss to her forehead. Raleigh caught sight of his smile upon seeing the jacket Charlie was wearing, but he didn't say anything about it. 

Herc lifted Charlie up slightly more so he could look her in the eye and said, "You are going to meet someone today who is gonna love you so much", and with that the three of them set off to meet the chopper that was inbound from Guam.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay finally we have Chuck, now I just have to work out the plot points as to how he actually survived this could be fun :)

Raleigh stood at the entrance to the hangar, Charlie balanced on her right hip. Herc stood by Charlie's side and to Raleigh's left were Mako and Tendo. 

Charlie was becoming restless however, "Mummy, how much longer?" her voice quiet and nervous. Raleigh looked down at her daughter, about to respond when the radio in Herc's hand went off. "Marshall, chopper is inbound, ETA 3 minutes." Raleigh lifted Charlie up a little higher, "not long now baby girl, not long at all." 

The five of them stood there, Herc and Raleigh looked at each other for a moment before joining the others in looking towards the sky. Mako was the first to spot the chopper on the horizon, it was another two minutes until the chopper was over the landing bay. Raleigh held Charlie closer, shielding her from the wind. Charlie put her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the sound. As the chopper touched down and the rotors began to slow, Mako turned to Raleigh and after a second Raleigh wordlessly handed Charlie over to her after placing a kiss on her forehead. 

Raleigh and Herc moved forwards a couple of meters, until the door of the chopper opened and out stepped Chuck Hansen. He looked older and more worn, the right hand side of his face had bad scaring, and Raleigh bet that the scars continued down his torso and leg. When he met Herc's eyes, he began to move down the steps, and Raleigh noticed that he had a slight limp. 

Herc moved to meet his son in a tight embrace. There were no words shared, because neither of them needed to say it. They pulled back and Chuck looked over Herc's shoulder at Raleigh, and for the first time Raleigh was conscious of her appearance. She had just thrown on an old pair of jeans that were more rips than actual material now, and the sweater, well it was almost ten years old, she was pretty sure it had stains that were older than Charlie on it. Her hair was slightly curly from the braid it had been in yesterday, but hadn't been brushed today in her rush to leave the apartment. 

However a huge smile spread across Chuck's face as he stepped around his father, "Hi, Ray" while Raleigh had been around Australians pretty much constantly for the past 3 and a half years but she had had no idea how much she had missed THAT accent. She glared at him but there was no heat behind it, before she launched herself at him, he stumbled back slightly but immediately righted himself and brought his arms up around her. 

"You're a fucking asshole, you know that kid?" she said, her face pressed into the side of his neck. "I missed you too Raleigh" he said soothingly in response. Raleigh was about to say something but Charlie's voice carried across the deck. 

"Mako, who's that with Mummy?" Raleigh immediately turned to look at her, as Chuck's arms fell away. "Mummy?" Chuck asked the smile on his face falling as he looked between the two of them. 

Raleigh crouched down and held out her arms and Mako put Charlie down, who immediately ran towards her. Raleigh wrapped her up inside her arms and then stood and turned to face Chuck. 

"Chuck Hansen this is Charlotte Yasmin Becket" Raleigh said, but at a distasteful noise from her daughter and a very embarrassed sounding "Mummy!" Raleigh laughed "Sorry baby girl, she prefers Charlie" Raleigh in explanation. 

Chuck looked at her, a look of barely concealed hurt on his face, "You have a daughter?" It was a rhetorical question he knew the answer to it before he asked. Herc walked up behind Chuck and placed a hand on his shoulder, "No son, YOU have a daughter." 

Shock flashed across Chuck's face, Raleigh simply smiled and looked down at Charlie, "Would you like to say hello to Daddy properly?" Raleigh waited only long enough for Charlie to nod slightly in response before handing her over to a nervous and still shocked Chuck. "Come on now kid don't flake on me you can take on Kaijus, a little girl can't scare you" Herc said jokingly from Chuck's side.

Chuck was about to respond when Charlie spoke "You look different than in Mummy's picture and my posters." Raleigh let out a gasp of embarrassment, while Herc just laughed. Chuck only missed a beat before responding "that's because I've been through a hell of a lot to get back here sweetheart." Charlie began to laugh, and Herc turned to Raleigh and whispered "I told you so." 

Chuck looked over Charlie's head at the two of them, "What did you say, old man?", a smile tugging at his lips. "I told you not to call me that, kid" and soon both men were laughing. Mako and Tendo took that as their cue to approach, and Raleigh became lost in a sea of voices and a sense of family. 

Chuck held Charlie out at arms length, "You do look like your Mummy, don't you?" In response Charlie stuck her tongue out at him. Raleigh, who was standing next to Chuck, replied to his question "Yes, but she is very much her fathers daughter."

Chuck laughed in response, "Yeah, I can see that." He pulled Charlie against his chest and turned to kiss Raleigh. They both knew there was lots to talk about and discuss, but for this very moment, this was all that mattered.


	4. Chapter 4

Herc and Chuck spent the rest of the day in meetings and medical checks. Tendo had to be present for a few meetings, so left with them.

Raleigh and Mako took Charlie to the mess in an attempt to actually get her to eat something. It was evident that no-one was aware of the news about Chuck, and many of the scientists and technicians came over to coo at Charlie, who did not appreciate the attention. What normally would have taken half an hour took them nearly 2. 

By the time they had finished both women decided that they may as well stick around until everyone was finished, so headed down to the kwoon, which they knew would be empty. 

Raleigh had collected some paperwork that she needed to complete, more information on the neural handshake and residual effects of the drift, while Mako tried to teach Charlie some basic Japanese. Raleigh put a lot of emphasis on ‘tried’ as Charlie had the attention span of a particularly stubborn goldfish. She had inherited all of her father’s intelligence but also his impatience and Raleigh’s tendency to become distracted. The only time Raleigh could maintain her concentration was during a fight or while in the drift. 

Raleigh smiled at the two of them, only interrupting to ask Mako a question or ask for her input on the work. After an hour all three of them were bored, Charlie glanced between the two of them before asking, “fight?” 

Mako let out a soft giggle, Raleigh simply arched an eyebrow at her in return, “Why not, Mako?” Mako considered it for a moment before nodding and lifting herself up from where she had been sat on the floor for the last hour. Raleigh stood up, kicked her sneakers off and pulled her sweater over her head. She rolled the sleeves of her t-shirt up to her elbows, well aware that Mako would have a slight advantage, as Raleigh’s jeans would affect her movement, while Mako was wearing an old pair of PPCD issue trousers, which had probably been the nearest things to her in her rush to get ready. 

“Go easy on me in front of the kid” Raleigh joked lightly, as she grabbed two staffs and tossed one to Mako, who just laughed “In your dreams, Raleigh.” Raleigh shot a quick look at Charlie who was sat against the far wall, and Raleigh knew that she would stay there until she was told she could move or the two of them had finished. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Half an hour later both women were breathing heavily, with large smiles on their faces. Chuck found them just as Mako managed to flip Raleigh onto her back, “fighting hasn’t improved then, Becket” the hint of a smile in the man’s voice. “Do one Hansen” Raleigh called back half-heartedly, Mako laughed as she offered Raleigh a hand. 

Once Chuck stepped into the kwoon properly, Charlie tentatively got up and wandered over to him. Raleigh looked on curiously as Chuck crouched down to be at his daughters eye level. Charlie looked at him, slightly unsure but she certainly inherited Chuck’s confidence, “Daddy, are you coming home with Mummy and me?”. Chuck looked at Charlie for a moment, before rubbing the back of his neck nervously, eyes flicking to Raleigh before back to his daughter. “That’s up to Mummy” Chuck said looking back to Raleigh, Charlie turned to look at her as well, and Raleigh found herself confronted by two identical pairs of puppy dog eyes. She laughed lightly walking over to the two of them, pulling Charlie into her chest as she sat on the floor, Charlie settled herself onto Raleigh’s knee. 

“Of course you’re coming home with us, Charlie has to show you her room” she replied, squeezing her daughter tightly while placing a kiss on her forehead. Charlie wriggled in Raleigh’s arms, “Mummy, stop!” Chuck and Mako both laughed at the exchange between the two of them.

“I’m going to go and shower and then find Tendo” Mako said and she turned to leave, Raleigh had seen Jaegers be subtler than she was being. Once Mako had left, Raleigh moved to stand, carefully making sure Charlie was securely on her feet before she stood fully. Chuck looked at Raleigh a question on his lips, but she cut him off before he could ask, “I need a shower, and this one” she said poking Charlie gently in the stomach, “isn’t far off needing a nap.” Charlie made a soft growling sound “Don’t need a nap, Mummy” Raleigh just smiled back at her “Yeah sure you don’t, little bug.” 

Charlie huffed before moving closer to Chuck, “Already shifting her alliances, should have known as she’s grandpa’s little girl” Raleigh said mock hurt in her voice. Chuck smiled before standing back up, Charlie placed her small hand into his, he looked startled for a moment but recovered rather quickly. Raleigh knew it would take a while for them to become comfortable around one another, but she could see that they were both enamoured with one another.

Raleigh quickly pulled her shoes on and grabbed her sweater, before reaching the two of them and taking Charlie’s free hand. Raleigh smiled at Chuck, “Let’s go home.”


	5. Chapter 5

Once Charlie was asleep – it had taken a lot longer than usual as Charlie had spent nearly an hour showing Chuck all of the Jaeger memorabilia she had – and Raleigh had showered, Raleigh and Chuck were sitting on her sofa, each resting their backs against one arm with their legs intertwined in the centre. Raleigh had a mug of tea in her hands but was ignoring it in favour of looking at Chuck.

“We can sit here for as long as we like, but unless one of us starts, we aren’t going to get anywhere” Raleigh said looking him in the eye. Chuck stared back at her, “So you go first, I imagine your story is easier than mine” his voice held no unkindness, but still Raleigh felt her need to defend herself, “Easier? Easier? I understand that whatever you went through was hard, but just because I was here and not stranded on some desert island doesn’t mean it was easier. Do you think it was easy to carry on when I couldn’t see a reason to? Do you think it was easy to find out that I was pregnant? Do you think it was easy to wake up from nightmares almost every night, whether they were about the past, about Yancy, about You, or the future, about how I would cope, about loosing her. I spent hours, days, thinking about getting rid of her, do you have any idea how hard it is to think about getting rid of your baby? Because I couldn’t look after myself at that point, Mako had to remind me to eat or shower, I didn’t have any clue how to look after a baby.” Her voice had become gradually quieter as she spoke and her eyes were glistening with tears.

“Raleigh, I didn’t…” Raleigh cut Chuck off though, “It never got any easier, when I felt her move for the first time I was paralysed with fear. I mean I’ve stared down fucking Kaijus and I’ve never been that scared, because it became all too real, the idea of loosing her became a constant thought in my mind. When the headquarters moved to Sydney and I moved into here, your dad was a fucking saint, because I could go over there at 5 in the morning or ring him at 2 in the afternoon and he would comfort me, and I know I couldn’t have done it without him. When I first saw her I knew that it would never be easy again but at least it would be worth it, because here was this perfect little angel, half me and half you, well mostly you as it’s become obvious, she’s got your hair, and your brains and your cockiness, and she’s amazing. I’m still racked with guilt every now and again because of all the times I think it would be easier without her, but I wouldn’t change it for the world”

Chuck stared at her for what could have been just a few seconds or several minutes, before shuffling closer to her on the couch and pulling her into his arms, which didn’t stop her trying to hit him. “Raleigh, I didn’t mean it like that, perhaps I should have said your story would be simpler to tell” he whispered gently against her ear, “Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you’ve gotten any better at being rational.”

Raleigh let out a weak laugh from where her face was pressed against his shoulder, and Chuck was grateful that Raleigh had put her mug down while she had been talking before she had tried to hit him.

“Am I correct in assuming that it’s my turn now?” Raleigh’s only response was to free her hand and punch him in the side, Chuck took that as a sign to begin. 

“I remember Pentecost shoving me into a pod as he spoke to Mako. I remember a blinding white light and searing pain, and I remember coming to on a beach, and that was all I could remember for 4 fucking years.” His arms tightened around Raleigh as he spoke, almost in reassurance that he was now ‘home’. “I was dragged out of the pod, my left leg was broken, along we 4 of my ribs, and as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, radiation burns down the right hand side of my body. The people who found me took me to the local hospital who did the best they could. They treated the burns pretty well and my ribs healed fine, but my leg wasn’t too good, I’d shattered the femur. But there was nothing that could be done for my memory. I was looked after well enough, but no one could really help me, of course everyone was aware of Jaegers and Kaijus but they hadn’t known really anything about the pilots.” 

“I’d kind of just resigned myself to a life of not knowing, when all of a sudden two days ago everything just came back. I remembered everything, who I was, my dad, even Operation Pitfall.” He pulled back to look her in the eyes, “I remembered you Raleigh, I remembered you.” 

She shifted slightly in his arms so she was on more of an even level with him, she moved forwards and captured his lips with her own. Raleigh lost track of time, all she was aware of was Chuck’s breath against her lips and the feeling of his skin underneath her hands. 

The two of them jumped, pulling away from one another, when a little voice spoke from behind the couch, “Mummy, I’m hungry.” Both adults began to laugh as Raleigh extracted herself from the entanglement of her and Chuck’s limbs. She picked the sleepy 3 year old up and deposited her onto the sofa that Chuck had just vacated. Raleigh walked over to the television turning it on, before picking up a DVD case and placing the disc into the DVD player.

Raleigh had learned early on that the best way to keep a toddler occupied while she had to do something like cooking was to put a film on. She had also learnt early on that Charlie adored Pixar films from when Raleigh was a kid.

Chuck followed Raleigh through into the kitchen and stood leaning against the counter, while she searched through the cupboards for something that Charlie would eat. 

Eventually Raleigh had managed to find all the ingredients she needed to make Mac & Cheese. “Oh God, you’re actually going to cook aren’t you Becket?” Chuck asked, a smirk on his face. 

“Fuck you” Raleigh said quiet enough so Charlie wouldn’t hear her through the open door, “If I didn’t cook we would all have starved by now, as Herc can’t make anything that doesn’t have to be barbequed, talk about living up to the stereotype, and Mako, bless her but she actually does burn toast on a regular basis. Herc eats here most nights and when Tendo is working Mako comes too.” Raleigh explained while searching in a drawer for something. 

“Ah, so that explains why everyone looks so thin and malnourished” Raleigh whipped around brandishing a large spoon, “I swear to god Hansen, one more crack and I will disembowel you with this spoon, now get out of my kitchen”. The little shit was still giggling as he sat down next to Charlie, who promptly shushed him causing Raleigh to nearly choke while laughing. 

20 minutes later, Chuck reappeared in the kitchen, “The fuck is this film that you are letting our daughter watch? Talking fish Rah-leigh, seriously?” Raleigh just laughed at the pronunciation of her name, “What can I say, the kid has the same tastes as I did in films.”

Chuck made a noise of understanding, “So that explains why it looks so…” he was cut off by Raleigh waving at him threateningly with a spatula, “So help me, if the next word that comes out of your mouth is ‘old’.”

Chuck, what he later realised was extremely foolish, reopened his mouth and said “old.” Raleigh hit him across the head with the spatula is retaliation. 

“You’re mean when you’re cooking” Chuck said his voice coming out as more of a whine, than anything that could be described as masculine, Raleigh just stuck her tongue out at him and replied “Go back to watching the talking Australian fish,” before turning back to the stove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it was kinda angsty for the first half but I hope I made up for it with the second half of this chapter. 
> 
> Please do leave comments as it is always great to either receive praise or criticism so I can improve my writing.


	6. Chapter 6

Raleigh was clearing up after dinner, while she left Chuck to finish reading a book to Charlie, because she had demanded that Daddy read to her. 

The only light in the room was coming from the overhead fan on the stove, but after navigating the apartment for 3 years, many a time at 2am with a screaming baby in the dark, Raleigh knew exactly where everything was. 

She was washing the last of the plates when she heard the door to Charlie's room close softly and then footsteps on the wood floor. Chuck entered the kitchen and asked "Where do up keep the spare blankets, Ray?" Raleigh turned to look at him "You are not sleeping on the couch" she said in her sternest voice. 

"But.."he stammered, before she cut him off "Don't be an idiot Chuck, it's not like I'm worried about my virtue or anything, there are three reasons why you can't sleep on the sofa, firstly because it might possibly be the most uncomfortable sofa in existence and I speak from experience. Then there is the fact that it hasn't had a proper clean, well ever, so there could be food that Charlie has hidden in the cushions that is almost as old as her. And finally I don't want you to, so man up, go and have a shower and then you can get in the bed Chuck." 

He looked like he was about to argue, so Raleigh walked over to the sofa and removed one of the cushions to reveal several crushed chips and a mouldy piece of what may have on been banana, before shooting Chuck a pointed look. 

A look of horror crossed his face and moved towards the bathroom. Raleigh smiled to herself triumphantly before returning the cushion to the sofa. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once Raleigh had made sure everything was off and the door was locked, she checked on Charlie and headed to her room. She closed the curtain in her room before moving to sort out the bed removing several soft toys left by Charlie. 

As she was removing the last of them, placing them on top of her dresser, a soft knock came from the open door and Chuck stepped into the room. He was still wet from the shower and a towel was wrapped around his waist. 

"I hope using this towel was ok?" Chuck said, nervously standing just inside the door. 

"Yeah that's fine, I'm sorry I should have gotten a towel out for you" Raleigh said, she turned around and caught sight of him properly. Aside from the scarring running down his side and him looking slightly older it was the same Chuck that she said goodbye to, and if she blushed lightly, well Raleigh hadn't seen anything more exciting than topless rugby players in 4 years. 

"Are you..?" Chuck began to ask before being cut off "No, now put these on" She said turning back around to the dresser and pulling out a pair of old sweats and a slightly stretched and well worn grey PPDC issue t-shirt, and threw them to him, before pulling an even more worn t-shirt out for herself.

As she pulled her top off over her head, she heard Chuck take a sharp intake of breath. She turned around realising belatedly that while Chuck had seen her naked before she hadn't been naked in front of anyone except doctors since Charlie was born and while she lost the baby weight easily enough her stretch marks were rather prominent. 

"What is it?" She asked softly, Chuck replied without looking up "Are these mine?" 

Raleigh blushed self-consciously "Yeah they were, I snuck into your room after I found out I was pregnant, Herc was too busy to clear your room out and I don't think he could cope with it at that point to be perfectly honest with you. It was like we left it and your scent was clinging to everything, it was almost like you were still there and all I wanted was to curl up in that smell and stop. But I couldn't, I couldn't allow myself to, so I stole some of your clothes it's not like you would have even noticed them missing even if you were there, all your clothes look the same. I snook back in there quite a lot over the months." 

He looked up at her at that point, dropping the clothes and moved slowly towards her, almost as if he were trying not to spook a horse. He wrapped his arms gently around her waist, and pulled her closer to him, And while it wasn't the most comfortable hug she'd ever experienced, what with his skin still damp, it felt wonderful. 

Raleigh leaned her head against his shoulder, and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent. Beneath the familiar citrus smell of her body wash, she could smell the hint of sea breeze and just Chuck. A scent that had once clung to the clothes she had taken but had long since faded. Chuck ran his fingers lightly through her hair and they just stood there, taking the time to revel in the presence of one another. 

Eventually Chuck broke the silence "I love you Raleigh, you know that right? I always have, since the first time I saw you on TV, even when I couldn't remember anything, I could feel that something, someone important was missing, and now, now everything feels right." 

Chuck pulled away slightly to see tears in Raleigh's, who quickly wiped them away, smiling gently and then kissing him ever so softly on the lips. 

Raleigh then pulled out of the circle of his arms, "I love you too, now put some clothes on because as much as I do love you, no naked sleeping as there is a 3 year old that can quite often end up in here by morning." 

Chuck let out a startled laugh before turning around in a futile attempt to preserve modesty and pulling on the clothes Raleigh has passed him, while Raleigh removed her bra and her jeans before pulling the t-shirt over her head. She then turned out the light and climbed into the bed, where she was joined by a now clothed Chuck, who proceeded to wrap his arms around her and they both drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge apology for not posting for over half a year, school became to hectic and anything I wrote just wasn't right. So here it is, not a very long chapter all things considered but it's a start and now that a-level exams have finished for a while hopefully more will be posted fairly soon.


	7. Chapter 7

Chuck woke with a start, it took a moment for his brain to register where he was, that it was Raleigh, his Raleigh that was wrapped securely in his arms. 

The clock on the nightstand read 2:37 and it took him a while to figure out why he had woken up but eventually he heard her. 

The sound of Charlie’s crying almost shattered his heart and after taking a quick look at Raleigh who was fast asleep, he carefully removed his arms from around her so she didn’t wake. He then slowly stood up making sure to allow his leg to adjust before heading towards Charlie’s room.

As he reached her room the sobs became louder and he pushed the door open to reveal the small child in the middle of her bed, the covers flung off, and in the grips of a rather vivid nightmare. He walked over to her before gently shaking her awake. 

As her eyes shot open, she bolted upright before hurling herself into Chuck’s arms. Chuck was unsure about what he should do to comfort his daughter, but thinking back to when he was a child and how his mother would comfort him when he had a nightmare, he simply wrapped his arms around Charlie whispering words of comfort and love to her and he rubbed circles gently on her back. 

Eventually the tears stopped and her breathing slowed until she was asleep against his chest. Chuck carefully adjusted the girl in his arms so he could carry her through to Raleigh’s room, but as he turned to leave Raleigh was leaning in the doorway, causing him to start and only his years worth of training ensured that he did not drop their daughter. 

“Shit Rals, you scared me” Raleigh let out a soft huff of laughter. “I woke up and you were gone, and I was worried that it had all just been a dream, but then I heard your voice” Raleigh stepped closer, brushing Charlie’s hair, that matched the shade of her father’s exactly, behind her ears. 

“You dealt with that brilliantly Chuck, you’re a natural.” Chuck ducked his head so as not to make eye contact with her. 

Raleigh smiled “Come on, let’s go back to bed” she placed a hand on his back and gently pushed him out of the room. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chuck woke this time to a 3 year old bouncing excitedly on his head. Chuck groaned, pushing his face further into the pillow. 

The bouncing stopped then, “Bug, let daddy sleep” Raleigh’s voice came from somewhere above him followed by Charlie’s “But mummy,” she whined. “Don’t, ‘but mummy’ me you little monster, let’s get you dressed and then once we’ve made breakfast you can wake daddy up, deal?”

Chuck heard an unsatisfied grunt from Charlie and decided that then would probably be a good time to surface.

“No need Ray, I’m already awake, the little ankle biter made sure of that” he said, sitting up and pulling face at Charlie causing her to laugh. 

“Well perfect, you can get your daughter dressed while I make breakfast” Raleigh said a hint of mischief in her voice, “Oh, she’s my daughter now is she” Chuck replied, “She is when she wakes me up at 6am, yes” Raleigh said before leaving towards the kitchen. 

Considering Chuck had helped to save the world, he thought that dressing a 3 year old would be easy, how wrong he was. 

Charlie spent 10 minutes pulling everything out of her drawers, while Chuck struggled to pick everything up after her. She eventually stopped when she found what she was looking for, a t-shirt with the Gipsy Danger logo on the front. 

Chuck then replaced all the clothes while she picked out a pair of light blue shorts, which chuck begrudgingly agreed to letting her wear, even though the clashed with the navy of the t-shirt. Chuck then fought with Charlie for 5 minutes trying to get her into the clothes. 

Eventually Raleigh called them for breakfast, but Charlie was digging through a trunk at the foot of her bed filled with shoes. Chuck decided that it was probably best not to rush her and began heading towards the kitchen, knowing that eventually she would follow and she could do herself very little damage. 

Not a minute later Charlie came charging past him in a pair of bright red rain boots, with white polka dots on them. Raleigh who had just finished placing the food on the small table that was in the shared living room/dining room, and when she caught sight of Charlie who was barrelling towards her, she shot Chuck a pointed look before Charlie started speaking excitedly. 

“Look mummy, daddy helped me get dressed.” Raleigh looked back up at Chuck, “Did he now?” she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, “Oi, she picked the clothes, I just cleaned up after her” This caused Raleigh to snort before picking Charlie up and depositing her in a seat at the table. 

“Sit down and eat, before it gets cold and I have to kill you” She to Chuck her voice low and terrifying. “I was right, cooking makes you mean,” Chuck retorted before Raleigh slapped him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chuck was carrying the plates back into the kitchen after breakfast, when he caught sight of Raleigh his breath caught in his throat. 

She was leaning against one of the worktops, a mug of tea in her hands. Her eyes were closed leaving him free to admire her. 

Her blonde hair was pulled back in a messy bun but small pieces had escaped and lay against the back of her neck, several strands covered her forehead and a few curled gently around her ears. She had a pair of jeans on that were covered with paint stains, and a t-shirt that had large rips in it. To him she looked beautiful, and he couldn’t resist showing her just how he felt.

He placed the plates he was carrying on the side, the noise causing Raleigh to open her eyes. Chuck walked up to her, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her closer.  
Raleigh’s cheeks turned pink and she clutched her mug tighter. Chuck bent his head slightly to capture her lips with his. 

The kiss started off slow, but then Chuck opened his mouth and pushed his tongue past her lips, causing Raleigh to let out a muffled whine and fumbling to place her mug on the nearest surface. 

When her hands were free she brought them up to the back of his head in an attempt to take control of the kiss. Chuck tightened his grip on her hips, pulling her flush against him, when a small noise came from the doorway and Raleigh broke away, breathlessly, to see she Charlie standing there. 

Chuck laughed, putting his lips against Raleigh’s ear, “Is she always this much of a cockblock?” He asked, “With Tendo and Mako yes absolutely, with me, well I wouldn’t know, but seeing as she is your daughter and you cockblocked yourself for a good long while, I wouldn’t be surprised” She replied causing Chuck to look slightly awkward, but he got his own back fairly swiftly, merely whispering into her ear again, “Well, I really hope not because I want to get properly reacquainted with you, Rahh-leigh” causing her to splutter and blush bright red before pushing him away. 

“Charlie, how about you take daddy and pick out a film, yeah? I’ll b e through once I’ve cleared up” Raleigh said to her daughter. Charlie nodded, before grabbing hold of Chuck’s hand and pulled him out of the room, as Chuck was pulled through the door he shot a wink towards Raleigh. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Raleigh stood there for a moment before finishing clearing the kitchen. When she had finished she stood just inside the doorway of the kitchen, holding her now cooled mug, just watching the father and daughter interact. 

What she saw caused her to smile, because Chuck was such a natural, she didn’t need to have drifted with Chuck to know that he was worried about being a good father.

It wasn’t that Herc wasn’t a good father; it was just that Chuck had never really had much of a fatherly influence during his early years, and while he had made his peace with his dad she knew it must plague his thoughts, even though he had only known Charlie for a day. 

Raleigh could see all those fears were unfounded because he had fit into the role of loving father so perfectly; it was as if he had been there from day one. 

And Raleigh, well for Raleigh the hole that had been present in her chest, which she had been ignoring for 4 years, had finally been completely filled. 

Everything felt right.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally after almost a year, I have well sort of finished this fic, and well I feel I have actually accomplished something.  
> I could have written more about their day to day living, but I didn't really want to go into all that. So I will treat you all to an epilogue, and I hopefully have another fic planned that is unrelated to this one but also happens to contain a female Raleigh who may or may not have a kid, but no promises as of yet.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this fic since the start, you have more patience than I do and to anyone who started reading later you have far more faith than I have because I couldn't bare to read a fic that hadn't been updated in over 6 months.


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 11 months since that fateful knock on Raleigh Beckett's door telling her that Chuck Hansen was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said i was going to add an epilogue, that was 2 and a half years ago, all I can say is I'm sorry and I hope that you enjoy this

Raleigh woke to sunlight streaming in through the window, she groaned and grabbed a pillow to put over her face. She had all of 10 seconds peace before a loud shouting woke her up completely.  
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY!” Raleigh sat up to see an extremely excited 4 year old bouncing up and down at the end of the bed. Right behind her daughter was Chuck, he looked exhausted but happy, holding a tray filled with pancakes and glasses of orange juice.  
Charlie bounced towards the bed and scrambled up so she was sat next to Raleigh. Raleigh gently repositioned the pillows behind her so she was sitting upright in the bed. Chuck headed over towards the bed placing the tray in the middle and then climbing onto his side of the bed to join his girls.  
“Good morning, darlin’” Chuck said as he lent across to give Raleigh a light kiss. As he pulled away Raleigh smiled at him, Chuck reached down to grab the tray and pull it up towards them.  
“You know you didn’t have to go to all this effort?” Raleigh said to Chuck, “I know but I wanted to do something special, that and Charlie wouldn’t stop begging for pancakes” Raleigh laughed gently before giving her daughter a quick kiss to the forehead.  
“Thankyou, this is lovely. It would be better with coffee though” Raleigh smiled over at the Australian. Chuck just laughed before reaching back over and placing a hand on her stomach, “Speaking of which, how is the littlest one doing this morning.”  
Raleigh was now just over 6 months pregnant, they hadn’t planned on having a baby, but when Raleigh had been throwing up for nearly 2 weeks and had no sign of it easing off she knew that is was highly likely that she was pregnant again.  
Her first thought was sheer panic. There she was again on the floor of her bathroom in the Shatterdome having just saved the world and feeling so small and lost. But immediately Chuck was there arms around her just calming her down, telling her that it’ll be all right and reminding her that he was there.  
After that though Raleigh calmed down, she got to actually enjoy things that she hadn’t managed to enjoy about her first pregnancy. The scans, the first flutters from her stomach, even the awful parts weren’t that bad with Chuck by her side.  
“She’s fine, a little restless but that’s good, its nice to know she’s there” Raleigh replied, pure love and awe coating her voice.  
When they’d been given the choice to find out the sex of the baby Raleigh hadn’t minded either way but Chuck was desperate to know, and when they were told it was another little girl his whole face had lit up like all the Christmases in the world had come at once.  
Chuck had been fantastic with Charlie since he’d come home, he loved every bit of their daughter and couldn’t hide any of it. Raleigh was so proud of her little family, and knew that when their newest addition arrived Chuck would be fantastic with her too.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
After they’d found out that Raleigh was pregnant, and announced it to Herc, who was ecstatic to say the least, Raleigh and Chuck began looking for a larger place to live. Raleigh’s apartment had been perfect for 4 years while she’d needed Herc and had needed that sense of family as close as possible and a constant reminder, but now with another person to think of they needed somewhere bigger than the tiny 2 bed apartment.  
They’d found the perfect 5 bedroom house just on the edge of Port Hacking in Sydney, Chuck and Raleigh between them had huge sums of money from Operation Pitfall that they hadn’t even touched the surface of so it was easily affordable. Herc gladly accepted their offer for him to move in with them, and had his own set of rooms separate from them so they could have some privacy.  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Herc had taken Charlie for the evening to give Raleigh and Chuck some alone time that evening to celebrate her birthday together without an interruption every 30 seconds.  
“That was incredible, seriously why do I do all the cooking?” Raleigh joked gently nudging Chuck with her foot. Chuck laughed “If I did this all the time it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise and I wouldn’t get the joy of seeing you smile like that”  
He lent across the table to hold her hand then, “Do you have any idea how much I love you Rals?” he whispered the sincerity and emotion thick in his voice. Raleigh opened her mouth to respond but Chuck cut her off, standing up from his chair to walk round to her side of the table.  
“Seriously Raleigh, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this much love for anyone or anything apart from our girls.” He said putting his free hand on her bump. “I adore you, the three of you so much. These last 11 months have been the best months of my entire life. I would go back through all that hell if it just meant getting to have this moment, getting to have you again at the end of it.”  
Raleigh had tears running down her cheeks at this point, looking up at Chuck at the man that she had fallen head over heels in love with and would follow to hell and back if it just meant getting to spend more time with him.  
Chuck let go of her hand and gently lowered himself down onto his good knee he reached into his pocket and pulled out possibly the most beautiful ring Raleigh had ever seen. “Raleigh Becket, would you do me the honour of shackling yourself to me for as long as we both live?”  
Raleigh burst into tears at that moment, and replied “Yes, god yes, a thousand times yes!” As she moved carefully off her chair to join Chuck, her Chuck, on the floor. He placed the ring carefully on her finger before pulling her into a deep hug.  
“Where did you get the ring? Its beautiful.” Raleigh asked her voice thick with tears. “It was my mothers, my old man gave it to me when he found out that you were pregnant, I’ve just been waiting for the right moment since then I guess.” Chuck had tears running down his face too and at that moment they both knew that they were where they were meant to be.

"I love you Chuck Hansen, forever"

"I love you too Raleigh Beckett, I always will"  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Raleigh Beckett was sat in a hospital bed, her hair pulled up in a messy bun that had mostly disintegrated in the 7 hours of labour she had just undergone, and in her arms was a tiny baby girl, she had a light dusting of blonde hair and was possibly the most perfect thing that Chuck Hansen had ever seen. Raleigh had been amazing and Chuck had been by her side the entire way through it. He looked down again at his daughter and his fiancé who was almost asleep holding her and knew that no matter how long he lived he would never get tired of looking at Raleigh.  
At that moment Charlotte Yasmin Beckett-Hansen burst in through the doors followed by her granddad and Chuck knew the moment of peace had passed. He stepped away from the bed to scoop his oldest daughter up into his arms and bring her over to the bed.  
“Charlie, I’d like you to meet your baby sister Angela” Upon hearing his new granddaughters name Hercules Hansen came to stand beside his son and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.  
“I’m proud of you kid, and your mum would be too.” Herc said trying and failing to keep the tears from falling.  
And Chuck knew that for everyone they had lost family, friends and comrades, their little family was a sign of hope and peace.


End file.
